RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that the “root of our culture” will be cut if the Ram temple in Ayodhya was not “rebuilt.” His comments, made at Viraat Hindu Sammelan at Dahanu in adjoining Palghar district, came amidst the matter currently pending before the Supreme Court for hearing.

Bhagwat said, “If the Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya) is not rebuilt, the root of our culture will be cut. There is no doubt that the temple will be built at the spot where it was.” Bhagwat then went on to add, “The Muslim community in India did not destroy the Ram Mandir. Indian nationals can’t do such a thing, foreign forces destroyed temples in Mumbai to demoralise Indians.”

“But today, we are independent. We have the right to rebuild whatever was destroyed because these were not just temples but the symbols of our identity,” he said.

Bhagwat’s comments also came on a day, when the civil society members staged country-wide protests across India against the growing incidents of rape and murder of women and girl children. People holding ‘Justice for Asifa’ placards also gathered at Delhi’s Parliament Street on Sunday.

According to the charge-sheet prepared by the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch officials, Kathua’s 8-year-old child was held captive inside a temple, where she was sedated and sexually assaulted for several days before being brutally murdered.

Social media users did not appear to react kindly to Bhagwat’s statements on Ram Temple with many targeting the RSS chief by reminding how some supporters of the Hindutva ideology had defamed the faith with their heinous crime. Users sarcastically asked Bhagwat if raping an 8-year-old child inside a temple ‘kept his cultural root intact.’ Others also quoted the viral statement, being attributed to the victim’s father, that he had looked for his daughter everywhere except the temple because he knew it was a sacred place.

Jantakareporter.com is an independent news website covering the latest trends from India and around the world. Our team of hard-working and dedicated journalists gather news, verify their authenticity before showcasing them on our website for your consumption. The purpose of launching Jantakareporter.com, a 24×7 multimedia website is to revolutionize the way we gather news.